The Devil's In the Next Room
by MaskedGamer39
Summary: ["Pizza's the only good thing about this place," Mike told him, picking up his third slice. "You got any more questions, Percy?"] When he stumbles across Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria whilst searching for a job, it seemed to be his lucky day. Except it wasn't, because nothing ever was that way when it came to Percy Jackson.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Five Nights at Freddy's, Percy Jackson, and all its associated characters, or else I'd be rolling about in mountains of cash when it's just the opposite. This is just a crossover piece of fiction which shouldn't be taken seriously, written by a dude who's probably looking at memes as you read haha.**

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**_Chapter 1_**

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His meeting with the other night guards did not go too well, just as he'd predicted. If running into an animatronic on his first day wasn't bad enough, this definitely upped the 'bad luck' scale by at least a hundred and two.

He was sitting at a table in the pizzeria, complete with the standard checkered tablecloth that was almost rough under his hands, and a plate of margarita pizza that he hadn't touched. Mike sat opposite to him, eating his piece with a lot more than just relish, while the other two guards ate unenthusiastically in silence.

"Pizza's the only good thing about this place," Mike told him, picking up his third slice. "You got any more questions, Percy?"

Mike gave him what looked like an easy smile, but Percy could see the underlying stress beneath it. He was the nicest guy of the bunch, answering his questions and being generally approachable, which Percy could appreciate. The entire atmosphere here was sullen and dark.

He nodded and asked about the job timings and specifics, which he launched into. As he listened, he looked around where he was sitting, finding his gaze shifting to the other people at their table.

Fritz looked exactly the same as he had when he'd run into him, which meant that his facial expressions didn't seem to change at all. He hadn't said a word, but the dangerously bored look in his eyes said all that he wanted to know. The mohawk fade haircut did nothing but accentuate it, despite the fact that he was the only one who was actually wearing the security guard uniform, with a flashlight attached to his belt.

He was picking at his pepperoni pizza slice, with half-lidded eyes and a permanent scowl. Opposite to him, another tall man sat, hunched over his food with his shoulders pulled in.

The man, Jeremy, was slightly jumpy. His eyes kept darting left and right, towards the show stage, where the animatronics were lining up. He was wary. He was constantly alert, and if he hadn't known better, Percy would have mistaken him for a demigod. He was also unresponsive, choosing to tap his fingers against the checkered tablecloth.

It was obvious no one wanted him to be here. He could laugh at loud at how unsubtle it was.

"-and there's absolutely nothing to worry about," Mike said for the sixteenth time that hour, "you'll do great, don't sweat on it."

He nodded, taking a bite of his pizza. The cheese was heavenly.

"What about the animatronics?" Percy asked, gesturing towards the show stage, where the trio were playing their instruments and singing the theme song, much to the delight of the kids. "Anything I should know about them?"

"Yeah, well, you've already met Bonnie," Mike said. "The bear is Freddy Fazbear, namesake of the restaurant. He's.. bloody temperamental." At Percy's questioning gaze, he continued. "The others aren't that aggressive, but Freddy's like that one kid you definitely shouldn't piss off."

"So if I ran into him earlier today and caused him to drop something, how fucked am I?" He winced, recalling the events earlier that morning, and Mike's eyes flashed with understanding.

"Normally, I'd say you're definitely fucked, but you helped him clean up. That's more than what most do for him. But don't count on it."

Percy was not counting on it. "And the bird?"

A snort from the other end of the table. His eyes met Fritz's, who was still bored, flicking a piece of tissue around his plate. "We've debated on that, kid. Is Chica a chicken, a duck, a bird or some weird ass abomination? Company loves their alliteration." His voice was a bit higher than Percy had imagined, but it was still cold and sarcastic.

Mike gave him a look, which Fritz duly ignored. "It's a chicken, probably. Like he said, they value alliteration for whatever reason." He coughed before moving on. "Anyway, she hangs around the kitchen, mostly. Makes the pizza, but we the first rule here, after 'do not touch Freddy' is don't go into the kitchen unless absolutely necessary."

"What if I'm hungry?" Percy joked, but he was given a dark look from Jeremy, who had done nothing but glare at him throughout the entire tour. Mike gave him a nervous laugh. Fritz looked away from the table and began fidgeting with the ends of the tablecloth.

"Then there's Foxy," Mike finally said, voice about as cheerful as it could get without sounding too fake. "He's in Pirate's Cove, the place that's been out of order for the last few years now. Just stay away from the Cove, and you'll be fine. Nothing too threatening."

"Oh yeah, sure," Fritz said lowly, flicking a French fry across the table mat, "nothing too threatening about an animatronic who's show was shut down due to alleged reports of said fox screaming and clawing at the walls, then itself. Nothing at all." Jeremy's jaw clenched. If Percy had even blinked, he wouldn't have seen it.

He didn't question what Fritz had said, deciding against it when he saw everyone's obvious unease.

Percy frowned. "So when do I start? Today?"

For some reason, it sounded ominous.

He jumped at the sudden sound of a chair screeching against the floor, and looked up to see that Jeremy had stood up, eyes dark and caged. He sent a sneer in Percy's direction before turning around on his heel and walking out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

_What the Hades?"_

"Sorry about Jeremy," Mike said, "he's... not good with people. At all."

_So much that he's a jerk?_ Percy nodded, but didn't buy it for a second. Fritz had looked surprised for a split second before his expression went back to what it was for the entirety of the late afternoon.

"You should meet Delilah. Y'know, for your official registration and all that." Mike waved it away with a flick of his arm. "She'll give you your schedule, those papers to sign-"

"What papers?"

Fritz answered this one, rolling his eyes. "The ones where you sell your soul to Fazbear Entertainment, except that instead of getting a favor done you get a godawful pay. You become invisible to the system, and a complete-"

"Okay, okay, we'll let Delilah explain the specifics," Mike said hurriedly, giving Fritz a sharp look. "He's over exaggerating, anyway."

"Not. In. The slightest," the offended guard muttered roughly, and while Percy gave them a small smile, he would be lying if he said he was wary for what was to come his way.

_He'd lost everything already. He didn't have any more to lose._

"When do I sign them?"

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Fritz excused himself almost immediately after, muttering something about another shift he had at eight o' clock before sprinting out of the establishment at a speed that would've surprised Percy if he hadn't watched trees rush ahead of him in races back in the day. It was just him and Mike after that, and he had to give the man credit - Mike turned out to be a really nice guy after all. Definitely insane, but nice.

The duo chatted about this one show that the both of them had watched at some point, and argued over the credibility of a few key plot points. Percy was glad that he had steered the topic away from the events earlier as smoothly as he had, because his brain would've fried all the remains circuits to a crisp with all the tension in the air.

He watched Mike gesture as he spoke, something he could appreciate. It made him think about Leo, which made him think of Camp, which had to be barricaded with a mind-block because no, he wasn't going down that lane yet.

They put off shop-talk entirely, the only mentions of the Pizzeria in their conversation being when Percy asked about Delilah, the spoken about in-charge at this semi-Arkham. "She's alright," Mike said, eyeing the doorway like as if a certain someone might walk in. "She was already here when I joined, but Delilah always looked like she never aged a day."

"When do I have to go on and sign them, again?"

"Oh look, Jeremy's back," Mike said suddenly, completely ignoring the question. Percy was not surprised since the question had brushed off just like that all the six times he'd attempted to ask, but he suddenly grew a bit irked.

Jeremy had indeed lumbered back into the room, holding what looked like a key to one of the blue lockers behind the bench he and Mike were sitting on. His eyes were a lot darker, and he fixed Percy with a glare, which he returned.

He opened up his locker with a bang, pulling out a brown envelope before slamming it shut and walking back out, completely ignoring Mike's existence, but said person was perturbed by it in the slightest.

"He's like that on bad days. Don't worry, it's nothing personal."

"Doubt that," he said, watching the door slam on the other man's way out.

Mike immediately launched back into what they had been talking about prior to the questions about the manager, but Percy wasn't completely listening, watching the trees blowing outside through the window nearby with something unreadable in his eyes.

He had recognized the look Jeremy had thrown his way before storming out, and it did not sit well with him or his stomach, which was twisting about like it had when he was twelve, entering an entirely new world. He'd seen it come from Artemis when they'd fought Atlas on that mountain. He'd seen it come from Nico, who was difficult enough to understand on a regular day. He'd seen it on his own face whenever there was a war.

_He looked like he was watching someone die._

_He looked like there was someone he couldn't save._

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"Sign here," Delilah commanded, pointing at a dotted line underneath a block of text that Percy's dyslexia made impossible to read. "What does it say?" At Delilah's look, an "I wanna know what I'm signing," immediately escaped his lips, to which she sighed.

"Look, I don't make these papers. They're straight from the main office, and I'm just supposed to print them and give them to you lot to sign. There are a lot of... questionable lines? Reading it will actually make you go nuts." The probably thirty-something year old woman said, with a scowl that would probably look down on him every time he tried something stupid. "Fritz would say you're lucky."

Percy agreed. Fritz seemed like the type. "Is that all?"

"No, there's still a page. The main one at the end." At that, she leaned forward, eyes crinkling with concern. "Are you absolutely positive you want this?"

"It's just a job, jeez," Percy stood up and glared at the wall. "What makes it such an important choice?"

"You're signing over your soul to Fazbear Entertainment, that's what," she snapped, glaring darkly at him. "This is a one time thing. You sign that, you're in it till the end. No back-outs. And if you regret this, there is nothing anyone can do about it."

"You don't know if I will."

Her eyes became weary that every second, but disappeared just as fast. "I do. That's what it is for most."

"Who? Jeremy?"

"No, he walked in with the intent to get himself killed," she waved it off. "But you-"

"You don't know me," he bit back, to which she only sighed and handed him back the pen. "Go ahead. Before you do, do you have any questions?"

"What's wrong with this place?" The question had been bugging him all day for some reason, but it never had seemed like the time to ask. Yes, it was a completely credible question and Percy needed answers.

Delilah sighed. "If I tell you, would you leave and never come back?"

He stayed silent. They both knew what his answer to that was, so she continued, albeit quietly. "We aren't allowed to talk much about it before the contract is signed. They even have that section you just signed about revealing nothing to anyone outside the establishment. Bad publicity and all that. But I can tell you this - your life will change forever. And it's not in a good way at all."

Strangely enough, he wasn't bothered by what he'd just been told, watching the lights dance across the ceiling as the table fan whirred and blew the window shades about. "I've heard that one before," he said finally, fingers clenched into a fist. "It didn't work the first time, and it never will."

Delilah didn't question the statement, something he liked about her instantly. She didn't press on private matters too much, never had in the last two hours. Maybe she was accustomed to this.

"Sign," she finally said, looking anywhere but his eyes. Percy picked up his ballpoint pen and did.

No thunder boom or flash of light. Nothing too dramatic. But he felt the tension in the room go down a significant amount.

"I get to work today?"

"Yeah, the night shift. Mike must've told you what that's about already. Well, most of it."

"Uh, no. He just told me it starts at 12, ends at 6, the pay is shitty," she cracked a smile at that, "and to never leave the office during said shift."

"That's all he can say," Delilah countered, folding her arms, her back to the chair. "Never leave the office when you're there, though. If there's a problem, the animatronics will deal with it."

Percy blinked. Then his brain seemed to reboot. "Hold on - the animatronics? Then what do you need a guard for?"

"Witnesses, and to deal with any issues arising with the animatronics themselves," she said calmly, like as if she was reciting it out of a book. "Just call the management if there's an issue right after the police or whatever. That's only if there's a problem, which isn't likely. And- did he mention the tapes?"

He shook his head, frowning. "There are tapes in the office. You might wanna check those out. A previous, good employee had recorded those for new guards during his own shifts."

"He left?"

"Something like that." He didn't like the way she said that, but didn't push despite the curiosity that rose up. "And another thing. Pay attention to your surroundings at all times. We don't need anything happening."

As Percy nodded, she sighed and picked up the contract before pushing it into one of her drawers. "Now get out."

Percy got out.

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Mike was gone when he went back to the Employees Only room, but there was green sticky note stuck to what Percy had decided to call his locker.

'_Had something I had to take care of. Good luck, and don't forget the tapes! -M'_

He folded up the note and tossed it into his locker for some reason even he didn't know before grabbing what looked like the security guard uniform from the bench. Percy looked around the room, and after making sure no one was coming, yanked his shirt off right there, and shrugged on the uniform.

The shirt was clean enough, but the pants were covered in some strange, crusty substance that caught on the callouses of his hands as he attempted to put them on. He put on the belt, which was a bit small for him, but he didn't mind it too much.

Then Percy glared at the tie.

He struggled with it for about ten minutes, unable to get the knot right. He hadn't worn the loophole of death since a few months ago on a less pleasurable occasion, and had no intents or doing so again besides here, so it seemed.

When it looked okay enough, he stood up and brushed his jeans before glancing at the clock. 11:31.

He went over to what they called the Office, the capital letter being a necessity, even on the contract in a few lines. He passed by the Show Stage, a bit unnerved. The animatronics were staring straight ahead, eyes glassy and non-living. They stood there like a video had been paused in time, and Percy would have preferred it to stay that way.

The West Hall with its flickering light didn't really get to him, and nor did the shadows that danced across the walls as walked through the doorway of the Office, frowning at first because it looked like the wrong place.

Then Percy saw the monitor, the drawers, the empty paper cup of what was soda, the crumpled papers and mentally cursed the gods.

Thee was a single yellow light bulb dangling above the desk. A desk fan was whirring away to glory, making a surprisingly low amount of sound. A further inspection of the drawers led Percy to find a box full of tapes and a flashlight, which he attached to his belt for good measure. He picked up a cassette tape and studied it, tracing his finger across the bumps and curves on its surface, realizing that these must be the tapes they were talking about.

Percy spotted the cassette player on the desk, and kept the tape marked as '#1' near it, as he looked around the rest of the office. Bringing his hand back, it struck something round and pink, revealed to be a strange looking cupcake with eyes that seemed to follow him around. He promptly ignored it.

A giant poster with the word 'CELEBRATE' written in yellow block letters above the Fazbear Gang was right above the desk, next to an assortment of children's drawings and such. On further inspection of the doors, he noticed they had buttons next to them with 'Light' and 'Door' on them, just like the ones he'd seen in Delilah's office.

After looking down and deciding there was nothing else to see, he set for settling down on the rickety black office chair and putting in the cassette tape, frowning at his watch. 11:57.

It loaded and sputtered, right before he heard a voice that made his hair stand on end for a second.

"**Hello? Hello, hello?"**

It sounded like no one he'd heard before. The person sounded to be about his age. His voice seemed to be brimming with controlled panic amongst other things, but it put him on edge.

"**Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?"**

If the guy was trying to sound reassuring in any way at all, it backfired. Terribly and completely. The fan whirred in the background, bringing him back to the dimly lit room with the screens and doors in a potentially empty building, and the gravity of the situation hit him.

The man went on. "**Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced.""**

Percy just blinked as the man went on to say that while all that sounded bad, there was really nothing to worry about. He wasn't reassured at all.

"**So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh...Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87..."**

Bite of '87. Something he'd heard about when he'd walked in today afternoon for the work interview, general activities and doing the paperwork.

12:13. He switched on the monitors and began to look around. The Party Room was empty, the West and East Halls were alright, the room Backstage-

Was that a hand?

He attempted to peer closely at what looked like a dark figure in the room. With a jolt, he realized it had two long ears and a piercing look, just like the ones he'd seen that morning.

Bonnie was moving. He watched, mesmerized, as the animatronic picked up a spare Freddy head with a swift motion of his arms, something that shouldn't have been possible, but was. Percy flipped back to the Show Stage camera, just to make sure.

Yes, Bonnie wasn't there beside the other two.

"**Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit."**

_What the Hades?_

Percy flipped between the cameras, watching as Bonnie entered the Party Room, glaring at the camera with such an intensity it was almost unnerving.

The man continued describing the internal design of the suits, and Percy had had enough. He hoped that was it, as he pressed the 'door' button and watched it slam down, brought it back up, and flicked the light button to see what they did a few times.

"**Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night." **It cut off, and the office was plunged into silence.

_Oh so now he tells you that you need to conserve power._ Percy was already down to seventy four percent.

He went back to the Show Stage, realizing that even the yellow chicken was gone, and just Freddy stood there, staring straight ahead.

He glanced at the buttons beside the doorways again whilst standing up to get a better look, a tight ball of dread sinking down in his stomach. Perhaps he won't have to use those today, since they did say that today was supposed to be a breeze-

_Oh my gods Bonnie's in the doorway he's here shit-_

With a fluid motion, he slammed his shoulder against the door button, flying back as the door slammed shut right in front of the purple rabbit with a clang.

For a few, long seconds, he just stared at the closed door.

What the actual fuck had just happened?

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**(Author's Note) 'Sup.**

**This was inspired by another work that I can't seem to remember the name of. It isn't planned either and was just a spontaneous burst of something haha, so updates will be random. And by random, I mean even months apart.**

**Chapter count is approximately three or four decent-sized ones? I'm not sure. I guess if people like this, I'll continue with it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Five Nights at Freddy's, Percy Jackson, and all its associated characters, or else I'd be rolling about in mountains of cash when it's just the opposite. This is just a crossover piece of fiction which shouldn't be taken seriously, written by a dude who's probably looking at memes as you read.**

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**_Chapter 2_**

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He reached out with an arm for the back of the rickety office chair, albeit shakily, and tried to steady himself as he rose from the floor. His other shoulder throbbed, the pain quickly setting in, but he didn't react. As he looked around, Percy decided that he was sure that the room hadn't been this bright before.

The chair wasn't very sturdy, and he stumbled while standing up. Percy reached for the office desk next and blinked hard, trying to set his vision back to the way it had been when he'd walked in that night.

That was when he heard the banging, clear as day, against the closed metal door.

His eyes snapped towards the window. It was too dark to make out much.

He spotted the monitor's screen, which showed him the Show Stage. Chica and Freddy still stood where they were, and while the scene was a bit serene at that point, Percy didn't want to see more. He went up to the buttons near the door with heavy feet, pressing the 'Light' button.

Percy glanced at the window, walking towards it to get a better look outside. The glass was slightly musty, like it hadn't been cleaned a few months. He was sure that was the case. Even so-

Bonnie's face popped up behind the glass, eyes glowing red. He jumped back, almost falling again after tripping on the office chair and backed away towards the buttons.

"Fuck." He half expected a red siren to start blaring at that point, but nothing happened except the sounds of something scraping against the window.

It made him feel slightly queasy, only a little bit.

Bonnie's face had looked almost terrifying, but Percy wasn't that unnerved. He'd been through hell and come back out sane (well, mostly) and he'd survived two wars. Sure, he'd expected to see Bonnie from the window, but he hadn't expected the jump scare, which had left him with his stomach churning.

Yet, even when he heard footsteps head away from the metal door, it didn't calm him at all. The animatronics were eerily silent in their footing, something that annoyed him. Even with his advanced senses as a demigod, hearing it was a bit hard.

He still heard the strange sounds down the corridor that sounded suspiciously like laughter. Well, fuck you too.

He stood up, glancing around before slowly peering out of the window again.

Bonnie had left. For now.

He let the door slide open, retracting upwards as he pressed the button. The silence shattered like glass, the screeching of metal against metal reaching his ears and making him wince slightly. The scraping made his ears bleed; he never did like that sound.

"Why me?" Percy asked the office in an unnecessarily loud voice. "Why has it always got to be me?"

The fan responded by whirring.

He let out a bitter laugh, hysterical at the edges. "I didn't ask for this, you know. Didn't ask to be a demigod, didn't ask to save the world a few times," he rubbed his face, and looked at the bulb hanging above the desk, "didn't ask to get a job that involves fucking possessed animatronics, what the fuck-"

Percy blinked, then laughed. "Man, I walked into a slasher flick IRL, what is my life?"

He could swear he heard a giggle from somewhere near him.

He looked at the monitor. Chica was on the move, the only animatronic left on the stage being Freddy. He was shrouded in darkness, and Percy could only barely make out the faint outlines of his robust figure.

_Why are you here?_

"Needed something to do. Ha, I'd get a screw loose," Percy paused, "if not from the animatronics first, then the boredom. Sure, being a demigod sucks balls but it's all action. I had something to do, something to put my mind to."

Then he seemed to realize that he was talking to thin air, and grinned. "I'm already going insane. Woah, that was fast."

_Why this place?_

He was about to reply before he stopped himself. "You're not just a voice in my head, are you?"

Silence.

Then another small giggle.

Percy ran a hand through his hair. "What the- wait, don't tell me." He began looking around the office, peeking outside the doors quickly to make sure no one was heading his way. Then he studied the desk he was sitting on and his gaze fell upon the pink, plastic cupcake from earlier. Why was that thing there again?

He continued his search for what could be the only source of conversation he had the entire night, but no avail.

Laughter, once again.

"I'm going insane," he muttered with a sense of finality, sitting down again. He switched on the monitor, and almost jumped back at what he saw.

Chica was in the East Hall, gazing at the camera with an air of casualness that was seriously unnerving. Her jaw was hinges wide open, the sharp teeth showing themselves in detail that was rather unnecessary, Percy thought.

The camera flickered. Then he heard soft footsteps, getting steadily faster.

In what seemed like a flash, he punched on the light, and slammed the door right in Chica's beaked face.

He heard what sounded like a squawk next, but nothing prepared him for the next second; he winced as the bird began to scrape at the door, metal against metal once again.

"Your aren't getting in," he said loudly to make himself heard over the scraping, "so stop trying." Percy wasn't sure of the animatronics could understand him, but he decided it was worth a shot anyway. "There's a door woman, you literally cannot walk in."

The scraping grew more aggressive. His ears screamed for solace.

"Sorry," he added, hoping the apology would make the bird reconsider. "I'm new here. Can't die on my first day, right?"

The scraping stopped abruptly. The office fell into the familiar mist of silence again.

He realized he was slightly curled in on himself, and straightened up, peering out of the window and squinting to see through the onyx fog outside. He didn't want to switch on the light again, lest it be like what happened with Bonnie. Percy wasn't scared but he'd rather he didn't see the animatronic's face up close through a single layer of glass.

He flipped up the door. She had probably left.

Big mistake.

Talons reached for him through the darkness, as Chica nearly made her way into the office.

Percy felt a talon scrape his forearm, as he backed away from the doorway towards the buttons and slammed his shoulder into the one for the door.

Chica seemed to realize what was about to happen and began getting back, but it was too late. One of her hands got stuck under as the door slid down and sealed the doorway. A moan sounded from outside, and Percy couldn't tell if it was disappointment or pain. Did animatronics even feel pain?

"I warned you," he said, voice higher than he would have liked. "Now you gotta get your arm amputated. What's the hospital line for resident animatronics?"

An angry squawk, just as the door trembled slightly. Percy's mouth snapped shut.

If she could pry open the door, he was fucked for sure.

He realized he should probably look at the monitor for Bonnie, but he didn't have to. A purple hand reached for him, just as he slammed into the other button. The door closed, but this time, no hands were caught under it. He left Bonnie on the other side, watching warily as Chica attempted to free her hand. With the way the door was trembling, it wouldn't take long.

"Just a suggestion," he said quickly, "how about you try again sometime later?"

His power was draining extremely quickly, already down to forty seven. It was only three thirty two. Chica didn't seem to be giving up any sooner, and while he didn't understand how, the door shaking every few seconds seem to sap at his power reserves.

Suddenly, he saw the bird yank out her appendage, and with a sharp tug, the door snapped close as the animatronic flew back. A dull thud was heard a millisecond after the door, and Percy was sure it was Chica hitting the tiled wall opposite the door.

He flicked on the light and watched Chica as she shook her head and stood up. She sent an red-eyed glare his way, jumping at the window and screeching loudly. He stepped back, switched off the light and frankly sprinted to the other set of controls, opening Bonnie's door.

Percy felt slightly guilty, despite knowing that he was dealing with animatronics and that they probably didn't feel anything besides, well, the need to catch an unsuspecting night guard. Then he realized that he was probably in mortal danger of dying that night, or getting stuffed into a suit and having his eyeballs gouged out. He didn't want to stick around to find out.

Something clanged in the distance. His hand went to his pocket briefly, before he remembered that his jeans were back in his locker.

A vague sense of deja vu hit him just then. The last time he'd left his jeans in a locker, he'd been ambushed by monsters in his own school.

_Heh_.

Percy doubted the sword would work on the animatronics. They didn't seem like they went after exclusively demigods (because going by the careful way Mike had tread about the topic, he had gone through the same thing.) And so many mortals with Mist-defying vision was too coincidental for his tastes.

Probably possessed robots then. Not some undead from the Underworld.

That meant Riptide was probably useless against them.

His gaze fell on the power meter. He froze. Only thirty six, and it was going down, extremely fast.

Four am. He was screwed.

Percy switched off the monitor, since he figured that animatronics would eventually come knocking on his figurative door and he didn't need to watch them all the time. He could hear them down the halls of he really tried. The doors were both up, and soon enough the battery stayed at the thirty-five mark for a lot longer.

Okay, he had got that down. Just another hour and fifty five minutes, and he should be through with this.

A flare of pain prickled across his right forearm, and he turned it over under the light, revealing two rather painful looking slashes that were streaked with red. A third lay parallel to the two, less prominent. They were long, covering three-fourths of his arm.

Just why did a kid's entertaining animatronic have talons?

The scratching had his head snap back to the right, eyes trained on the doorway. Padded thumps made their was towards him, and he could faintly make out red lights approaching his safe zone.

This time, the door was down the minute Chica stopped in front, eyes seeming downright murderous. Percy could swear they hadn't been that deep of a red the last time she'd, heh, squawked by.

A giggle pierced through the night. He realized he'd said it out loud and snorted.

"You gonna laugh at me all night? I thought you were good at therapy," he told the voice, which went silent for the next minute. He gazed out of the window, only to be met with two glowing spots which didn't look too friendly. He backed away towards the other doorway, peeping outside to make sure no one else was coming.

Chica stomped off soon, making noises that he could only think of as being indignant and pissed, just as he heard another bout of giggling.

Another twenty five minutes passed, and all he'd been greeted with was a visit from Bonnie.

Twenty-four percent.

Bonnie popped by again, but while the night was nearing its end, he seemed to be getting more aggressive. Bonnie clawed against the windows, making noises that sounded like someone attempting to breath under suffocation.

Percy shuddered inwardly. Those sounds were going to haunt his nights.

Chica didn't show up at all. All he could make out was a faint banging of pans in the distance, so he figured she must've gone back to the kitchen. Good for him.

Time blurred into clumps, and by the time it was five thirty, he was exhausted to no end. The adrenaline rush he'd had at the start had abandoned him completely, to the point where slumping over the grimy, coffee-stained office desk didn't sound like such a bad idea...

A clang startled him from his stupor. He turned to his left and spotted Bonnie stalking off, so he pulled the door up.

Nine percent, he read through a dazed fog, panic setting in as the clock ticked to five forty two. He could potentially die.

Damn this stupid-ass system. Animatronics seemed perfectly capable of scaring off intruders- and who would want to steal anything from here anyway?

_Suicidal drop-outs like you_, his brain supplied.

_Gee, no need to be so upfront about it_, he thought back, gaze darting around the room and the doorways from where he stood. All clear so far.

He watched the time tick by, the animatronics seemingly having taken off for the night. Percy had only seen two of the three though, and hoped the third wasn't going to pop out of nowhere and rip his insides out. He would have flipped up the monitor to look out for the bear, but didn't, watching the power lower. Eight.

Five-forty four. _Seven_.

Five-forty nine. _Five_.

As the power hit four, he began pacing about the Office, peering out into the darkness on his left and right occasionally.

'Occasionally' was a bit of an understatement. He kept rushing between both doors, like a Karen at a supermarket's closing time, trying to keep his head on straight. He was no strategist, after all.

_Three._

_Two. Fuck-_

_One._

Red shone across the power screen, and just as he thought he was going to make it, the brief sound of something powering off erupted across the room, and the Office was plunged into darkness.

Percy blinked. Then he lunged across the room, crawling underneath the Office desk just as his instincts went off screaming that something was about to happen and that he wouldn't like it at all. He didn't know what the time was, and something cold settled in the pit that was his stomach. He had been so fucking close-

A padded footstep had him freeze in his tracks. Then a soft tune began playing, eerily so. It seemed like something out of a child's music box, if the 'ding's were anything to go by. However, something about hearing it in the dead of the night didn't seem very non-threatening. The music drew closer as he pulled back, trying in vain to stuff his figure underneath the safety of the table, and it was at this point that Percy wished he was as short as the satyrs were. Hooves would have been so much easier to hide under the desk.

It grew steadily louder. A harsh blue light was drawing near extremely quickly, and he could make out heavy steps towards the left door.

The music stopped. He squeezed his eyes shut.

He could hear mechanical whirring. The blue light shone across the room, almost searchingly. He saw nothing but his eyelids, and didn't dare to breathe.

Another step forward, the light growing brighter.

He'd never felt so haunted by a presence before. He'd never felt like a single breath could end with him dead. But while he didn't care much about life, some sort of survival instinct had kicked in, and he couldn't feel much besides the ever growing fea- no, it wasn't that. It was just dread.

Something leaned forward. He dared crack open an eyelid.

And came face to face with the glowing face of Freddy Fazbear, all up close and personal.

He didn't hesitate.

He screamed.

Even as the tell-tale bells signaling the end of the night rang out, even as the animatronic stepped back and disappeared to Hades knew where, even as the next few minutes passed by, even as Fritz seemed to have fucking teleported into the Office, shoved aside the chair and kneeled besides his figure, frantically asking him to get up, he couldn't understand.

He wasn't screaming anymore, but he couldn't feel. His eyes stayed locked onto nothing.

_He was back in the Pit. He was back there. He wasn't getting out. He was alone._

"-Percy, _calm the fuck down!_"

Percy? That was his name.

"Hey, hey, man- look at me." Fritz forced Percy's face towards him, eyes wide. "You're okay. You're alright."

...

"Yeah, yeah. You're fine, ya hear? It's over. You survived the night."

The world shot itself back with color. Fritz's eyes were locked into his own, and he pulled back just as awareness seemed to flood back into Percy's system.

The first thing Percy did was burst into what sounded like laughter. "He was r-right here! He was literally over there," he gestured to where Fritz was standing now, "and I was under a table."

Fritz seemed to be used to this. Whether that was concerning or extremely good, Percy didn't know. "Yeah well, I did say I wasn't exaggerating. You did better than some of us on our first night. C'mon, get up." He gave him a hand, but Percy didn't take it, standing up himself after crawling out from underneath the desk.

He knew he'd had a Pit episode again, but the other man didn't need to know. He could chalk it up to first time horrors.

Fritz gave him a lazy smile. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced and he seemed half asleep as well. "I came here to tell ya - welcome to the family. You got past the first night, here's to more."

He took that in.

"When the actual fuck were you going to tell me about this deal with the animatronics?" he snapped, glaring at the man. There was the unspoken I could have died here, but Fritz seemed to have no reaction to his outburst.

"You didn't research your own job?" He rolls his eyes. "Man, who doesn't do that? You gotta have heard of this place somewhere."

At Percy's no, he goes on, gazing around the room as he did.

"We ain't allowed to talk about it off grounds, or to new recruits. Didn't ya read the papers?" Then he shook his head, chuckling, "nah, readin' it's a pain in the ass. Best I told you after the first night. But that aside," he met eyes with Percy. "Ya got any family? Friends who'd go off their rockers for ya? Shit like that?"

"No."

"Ha. Then you're alright. If you're anything like the rest o' us, I'd say you're suicidal."

He said it like he'd come to terms with it. Like they all had.

"Anyway, best be going now. I don't wanna spend more time in this shithole. Come on."

The two of them walked out of the Office, Percy following Fritz as they went through the halls and towards the dining area. The place didn't seem as trigger-happy as it had been a few hours earlier, but that unease still trickled down his back like pancake syrup. He shook his head and tried to see where his coworker was heading.

They sat down on a familiar table, the same one they'd been sitting on the day before. Fritz glanced at the entrance before turning back to him, eyes bored. "They'll be coming now. We'll have breakfast together."

"Pizza for breakfast?" He asks, just as he's given a shrug. "Better than what Mike can cook. Asshole's great at blowing up kitchens."

Percy somehow wasn't surprised. "Why are you here, then?"

"What? I can't be early for my newest bud?" At his disbelief, Fritz laughs. "Okay, okay. I'll spill the beans. Had my shift too. The second office."

"There's another one?" At Fritz's nod, he frowns. "How big is this place?"

"Big enough."

The message is clear enough too - Fritz didn't want to talk about anything related to that section of the pizzeria. He decides that's alright and shuts up, watching the light above their table flicker a few times.

"Well, that's that," he hears a sigh, as the man slumps over the table, arm in front of his head. "Wake me up when they come."

That was a good idea. Plus, Percy figured Mike would be loud enough to wake them both up, so he copies Fritz's position, closing his eyes and trying to sleep. He doesn't complain when it washes over him like a huge wave.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

When Mike walks in, he doesn't expect to see the duo sleeping across the table. Fritz sure, but Percy hadn't seemed like the type.

He shrugs, setting down his backpack. New stuff everyday, because the same shit will drive you crazy.

"See, Jeremy? He's alive and well. I told you he'd do it."

Jeremy stares. And stares. Then he points to Percy's arm, which was still covered in blood. "Close call," he whispers, voice scratchy. Then he signs, 'He probably wants to leave now. It's better for him if he does.'

Mike doesn't know what to say to that. Because it was true, but he didn't know the other man enough to say things like that.

"Let him sleep a bit," he says instead, as Jeremy sits down beside him. "He'll need it for tomorrow."

* * *

(**Author's Note) - 'Sup, folks. RL had me in its clutches for a few months, and will still be doing that until mid-way March haha, so thats when you can expect the next chapter.**

**Y'all left me some reviews, so I wanted to thank all of you guys for reading and being supportive despite it just being the first chapter haha. They were all Guest reviews and I couldn't individually reply, so I've decided to reply down here.**

**Matt: That's the implication, because in any other scenario it wasn't natural for Percy to find a job so far off from where he typically resides. Shoulda figured that would have been the first question lol.**

**Revenge Panda: Thanks, kind stranger. Yeah, I will be continuing this now. Glad to hear you like it!**

**mouse-with-wings: Thanks for reviewing, mate. As for your suggestion, I can't really promise anything right now, but we'll see how it turns out.**

**Firtreeeee: Thanks for dropping by! I did go and give Fazbear's Fright a read right before putting this chapter up, and it was an awesome read. However, it wasn't the inspiration for this fic. Thanks for the recommendation though.**

**Guest: I'm going to assume that you were the person behind the next three reviews, so I'll reply to all. Thank you for stopping by and checking out this story. I would have replied a lot earlier but I never could seem to find the time haha. Updates should get more smooth now that the crisis RL has been averted.**

**Sorry for the long wait, y'all. See you guys around in the next segment.**


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